Let's Talk About ESG Ep.26: Going beyond the number of ESG experts and their CVs

Citywire: The Selection Show

If you’re making sustainability hires for marketing purposes, it will quickly become clear it’s not going to work or it won’t have a true impact on the business. When selecting funds, Anne Ackerman, former head of impact fund selection at Credit Suisse, always paid attention to interactions between portfolio managers and ESG analysts to make sure that their approach to sustainability was robust enough. ‘It is not about the number of people, CVs of those people, but more about the commitment of the business and people running the business; how they actually support sustainability experts.’ In her view it is not just about integrating sustainability into the investment process but also about the role it plays for companies themselves, be it the wellbeing of employees or how a given firm sets environmental or climate targets. 'If this is not supported at the high level – at some point there probably will be struggles, but I think it is an important aspect to look at.’ Also in this podcast former fund buyer explains why she likes ESG approach of boutiques and what is the difference between impact and ESG fund selection.